Hello, lovelies! We have come to the end of October and therefore the end of The Classical Music Trial By Fire Challenge and it's humble participants, Chalice and I, are sad to see it go!
For our Grand Finale we have assembled and orchestrated a questionnaire about our experience! And as an encore we will be performing and posting videos of the songs we've learned this month. YIKES!
But first we have...
Ze Questions
What has been your favorite part of this month?
I think my favorite part was re-connecting with my childhood knowledge of classical music and growing that. I really do enjoy this type of music, but I don't take enough time to sit and appreciate it. I'm planning on continuing to explore these great works and working the ones I've discovered this month into my regular music playlists.
What is your favorite symphony or full work?
Oh dear, I listen to more bits and pieces than full works! The top two that come to mind are Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.
What is a piece that grew on you, that you didn’t like at first?
Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. What a beautiful piece! I re-listened to it after Eddie from TwoSetViolin said it was his favorite and it's just so beautiful! It makes me think of nighttime and the stars and the peacefulness that settles on you after your day is done. *sigh*
Is there an aspect of classical music that you now have a deeper appreciation for?
I am in absolute awe of the the sheer amount of TALENT and WORK that these musicians put in to be able to play these beautiful pieces. Not to mention the TOTAL GENIUS of the composers who wrote the music and the conductors who INTERPRET each piece and convey it to their orchestra and bring all the different instruments together in HARMONY to produce such BEAUTIFUL music! Since I play the piano and violin and know first hand how difficult they can be to play, I have an extra layer of respect, since I can commiserate.
If you could go back in time, which of the composers would you most like to meet and what would you say/ask?
I would like to meet Dmirti Shostakovitch who was a Russian composer when the communist party was in control. He also lived through the Seige of Lenningrad and entitled his seventh symphony Lenningrad. I'd like to ask about his experiences living through those events and under that regime.
Who is your favorite classical music performer?
I'm not sure, I didn't really get into that side of things, but the MozArt group is amazing as is David Garret.
Any interesting facts you learned in connection to classical music?
I learned that Handel composed his Water Music when King George I hosted a royal cruise down the Thames and wanted some accompaniment. The music was performed on a barge as they all floated along (hence the name) and the King loved it so much, he had the whole symphony played three times before the cruise was over. Isn't that neat??
Have your views of classical music changed in any way?
I have a greater respect and appreciation for the amount of work and skill that goes into writing and performing these pieces and I enjoy the music itself more for the knowing.
If you were to take up a new instrument, what would it be?
I've got a list! Guitar (classical fingerstyle-ing), banjo, mandolin, trombone, trumpet, drums/percussion, and maybe cello or dulcimer.
If you were to write a story based on a classical piece, which piece would you choose and what story would you tell?
I had this idea years ago during a car ride and it's set to Vivaldi's Four Seasons Summer II Adiago. The music starts out very slow and then it goes fast and thunderous then back to slow and keeps switching back and forth. The story opens during the slow part and you see a scene of a very dull lady's tea during like the French Revolution, but in England, so think The Scarlet Pimpernel. The ladies are all inquiring after each others health and the health of their families. Young Lady Heathridge asks Susanne Ecklestone about her brother and she daintily sips her tea, divulging that he is at Oxford again this summer. The music goes fast and the camera cuts to a forest where we see a young man running as though for his life. Music slows and we return to the tea party: "Oh, yes, dear Edmund is always so devoted to his studies, he always has his nose in a book". Cut back to the man in the forest as he dodges bullets. Cut to tea "We expect him to follow in Uncle's footsteps and take a place at the college among all the other scholars!" Cut to man jumping over streams, getting shot in the arm, but still running on. Cut to tea "I do wish Edmund was more exciting like your brother, Louisa, but with his weak health, I suppose it's to be expected he only wishes to be surrounded by books and professors who speak Latin and Greek and all that." Song ends and Summer III Presto begins and we find out what becomes of "Dear Edmund"!
Bonus Question: What regular song are you going to listen to first, or what song did you miss the most?
